There are way too many fun things in the Athens, Georgia  area to do this weekend!  It's time for our Friday FUN Thing to this weekend list:

On Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 9:30 am, check out the 10th Annual Hull, GA Festival with a parade, music, food and crafts, 40+- vendors expected this year - located just off Highway 72, East - turn right at the redlight in Hull (Old Elberton Road) and the festival will be on the left.  (End at 3pm)



The

will host a Fundraiser rabies clinic and dog wash from 1pm until 4 p.m. on Saturday 5/17/2008, at the shelter located at  1888 Colbert Danielsville Road; Colbert, GA 30628   (706) 795-2868.  Check out their "Flea Market" while you are there!


Visit

Cotton candy, Funnel cakes, Popcorn and more....drive through the parking lot at the Georgia Square Mall on the Atlanta Highway in Athens, Georgia through Sunday May 18, 2008 and that is what you will smell!  Not a vegtable in sight, unless you count the onions & peppers on the sausage dogs!  Forget healthy eating for just one night and take the family out to experience the food and thrills rides since the King's Circus is in town!  Plenty of rides and games for children of all ages including a merry go round, ferris wheel, plenty of kiddie rides,  and some that will make you SCREAM!

during the day and enjoy the perfect tempature in the evening to go to the carnival!

If you know of something cool and fun to do coming up soon - please let me know in the comments!

 

fell from 65.9 to 62.3.  "The Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households."


At an annualized rate, the

•         768 new real estate listings placed on the market
•         253 sold properties in the overall Athens, GA market area
•         246 expired listings in the overall Athens, GA market area

to view our Athens, GA real estate comparision of 2006 versus 2007 housing market statistics with graphs.  

Please visit next week for some specific subdivision and neighborhood market comparisions and reports.  If you have a specific Athens, GA area subdivision that you would like to see a detailed market report about, please leave me the name of the subdivision in the comments!

 

"The Athens Human Rights Festival brings together political activists, ...

I recently spoke to a young couple who had been considering buying a home for over a year.  They were paying high rent -typical in Athens, a university town - where rents are often higher than a house payment, had decent jobs and were considering starting a family soon. 

They had actually looked at houses last summer, but were traumatized!  The process just felt overwhelming, so they quit looking and signed a new lease which is going to expire in a few months.  They called because they decided to "bite the bullet" and try again.  So we are putting together a plan of action to help take some of the trauma/drama out of buying their first home.

• Find a REALTOR®  you can be comfortable working with - disclosing all manner of traditionally private and personal information can be uncomfortable - it's critical that your representative in the transaction knows enough about your personal and financial life to be of assistance to you!  Home buying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one. This couple had felt pressured to by more home than they really felt comfortable with!  Do you really want to live on dried beans and macaroni for the next 30 years?
• Don't wait to get a loan. Talk to a mortgage lender and get prequalified for a mortgage before you start looking!  Again it's really important to choose someone you are comfortable working with!
• Remember, there's no "right" time to buy, any more than there's a right time to sell. If you find a home now, don't try to second-guess the interest rates or the housing market by waiting. Early this week rates were great, but the market has moved.  some people predict rates will drop again after the first of the year, but there is no good way to "time" the market!  The difference in rates this week equates to the cost of a few expensive coffees a month - don't let that make you miss the perfect home!
• Don't ask for too many opinions! It's natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas will make it much harder to make a decision.  This couple passed on a pretty good deal that met most of their needs and wants because a family member criticized purely cosmetic issues in a home that would have been easily changed!
• Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation. While homes in the Athens Georgia real estate market have historically appreciated, a home's most important role is as a place to build your life and memories! 

So here are the top five steps to the plan or part one.  Next week I'll publish the next 5, so come back by or give me a call at 706-207-2502 for your personalized plan of enjoyable house buying, I can help you take the "puzzle" out of buying a home!

Fortunately, the housing market in Athens has remained very stable, take a look at the Athens Georgia Real Esate Market Statistics for 2006 versus 2007.

Please explore our Link Guide for Plannning a trip to Athens, GA to find resources to make your trip to serach for real estate in Athens, GA easier.

while we're shopping.

706-207-2502  cell                           706-543-1553 office

For more information about homes for sale and real estate in Athens, GA or to request a Relocation Package by mail for Athens, GA and the surrounding areas , please visit our website at Success Realty or email Michelle DeRepentigny at Michelle@SuccessRealtyGa.com for more information.

 Historic Home on Acreage in Watkinsville, Oconee County, Georgia

This Historic Home has it all!

• Offered at $518,000
• 6 bedrooms (2 could be utilized differently)
• 3 bathrooms
• Formal Dining Room
• Extraordinary Living Room
• High Ceilings throughout
• Huge Bi-Level Decks - newly rebuilt
• Inground Pool & Patio
• Wood Privacy Fence - newly rebuilt
• Detached 3+ Garage
• 36 x 72 Outbuilding
• 3.481 Acres

Charming, craftsman style historic home built in 1908+ has been updated throughout including cosmetics, plumbing, appliances and more.  Spectacular, move-in and love living in it condition!

Situated on 3.481 Acres, zoned A2, allows you to do or have most anything you could desire.  Features small horse stall area and some fenced pasture area.  The super sized 36 x 72 metal outbuilding features a half bath and some finished area and could be used for many purposes!  The detached 3 car garage has auto openers and is 2 car lengths deep for storage of 6 vehicles or plenty of shop room! 

Opportunities to purchase historic homes in Watkinsville, Oconee County, Georgia are becoming more rare!  Don't miss your special chance to own this piece of history.  Call Michelle today at 706-207-2502 to arrange for a private viewing.

If you would like to see what is available for sale in the Athens Georgia and surrounding area real estate market, please search our IDX via the multiple listing service, just click on the "search for homes" button below.

For more information about homes for sale and real estate in Athens, GA or to request       
 a Relocation Package for Athens, GA and the surrounding areas , please visit our
website at Success Realty or email Michelle DeRepentigny at Michelle@SuccessRealtyGa.com for more information.

Commerce, Georgia home for sale, just mintues from I-85, more spacious than you can imagine!

• $172,000
• 2055+- square feet
• 3 Bedrooms
• 2 Baths
• Soaring, cathedral ceilings!
• Huge master suite
• Larger than typical secondary bedrooms
• Formal Dining Room
• Large Breakfast Area
• Open floorplan
• Sweet Patio
• 2 Garage
• 1.64 Acres

Situated just minutes from Banks Crossing - the outlet mall in Commerce, Georgia!  Located just inside Banks County, Georgia, off Highway 441 and Highway 59 in a country subdivision with gorgeous, pastoral views from patio.

The living room features a soaring cathedral ceiling and plenty of wall space for your big screen tv!  The breakfast area is larger than typical with pelnty of room for gathering!  Neutral paint colors throughout and absolutely immaculate! 

The formal dining room is spacious and just waiting for your touches.  The kitchen is open to the living room, but work area is shielded by high bar area - your guest won't see any preparations!  The master suite is spacious enough for even the largest furniture suite and features cathedral-vaulted ceiling, also.

You other family members will never feel cramped - 2 large secondary bedrooms feature abundant space.  The rear patio will delight with rolling, pastoral views and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!  Don't miss this spacious, immaculate home - call Michelle today at 706-207-2502 to schedule your private showing or for more information!                 

706-207-2502  cell                           706-543-1553 office

Michelle@SuccessRealtyGa.com       Success Realty website

All information believed accurate, but not guaranteed.

Friends, readers, visitors, and all my competition who drop by to see what I'm up to now:

The Virginia Association of REALTORS (yes I realize I am a Georgia REALTOR and this is a Georgia blog, but it's a national contest) has a pretty cool contest going with their First Annual Blog Brawl right now and this is my shameless plea for you to consider voting for All About Athens GA.  Last week the voting started with 60 blogs

More good news:  Although Georgia as a state is still designated as "At Risk", USA Today reports Athens, Georgia as an "expansion area"!  The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight reports a 2.6% gain for home values in Georgia in 2007. 

USA Today also reminds us that "Businesses and consumers not in areas most affected by the housing boom and bust are not escaping the effects of the housing slump entirely...", mostly due to tightening in the availability of mortgage money due to high forelcosure and secondary lender closures.  Don't take the gloom and doom reports to heart, there are still great mortgage programs available for qualified buyers!  And now is a great time to sell or buy real estate in Athens, Georgia. 

In a recently released report from Georgia State University's Economic Forecasting Center, it's predicted that  Athens, Georgia will avoid a full recession this year and grow at twice the rate of the rest of the state of Georgia. 

It's predicted that Athens will add 1.6% more jobs versus the rest of the state's predicted 0.8%.  The growth can be attributed in a large part to the stability that the University of Georgia brings to the Athens metro area.

Real Estate and Housing has remained mostly stable with some appreciation in the Athens, Georgia area as documented by Success Realty in our most recent Athens Georgia real estate market statistics.

As for the rest of the state:  At the Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon held in Atlanta in December 2007, Dean Robert T. Sumichrast of the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business stated "Our economy is still growing, but what appeared to be a soft landing for Georgia's economy has morphed into a protracted landing -- characterized by considerable turbulence."  

Ken Heaghney, Georgia's official state economist told state leaders at a meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations committees in January that "We're expecting ... Georgia could do no worse than the U.S. as a whole, and probably better".  He went on to assure state leaders any recession should be mild, and the economy could turn around as soon as the middle of the year.

It's been an interesting few weeks in the mortgage market with rates fluctuating and the scary, but thankfully temporary, disappearance of 100% financing in Georgia due to being rated a "declining market" for the entire state by several risk management (PMI) companies.  However, spring market is just around the corner and happily, buyers are leaving their winter hibernation behind and starting to search for homes in Athens, Georgia!

What does it mean to someone searching for a home in Athens, Georgia?  A more friendly, comprehensive experience for those exploring what homes are available in the Athens area and a better way for Athens Georgia real estate agents to serve our clients, both buyers and sellers. 

Those of you who have visited before will notice that there is now one link (to the right) to search for homes, land or commercial real estate in Athens, Georgia, instead of three.  Once you are on the IDX search site, you will have multiple options - feel free to ask me for help if you have any questions or problems!

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) acts a central warehouse of  homes for sale in Athens Georgia and many of the surrounding areas.  Through agreements in place, the 100+- companies with  800+- agents in the area share information about homes for sale.  The Athens MLS took a huge technology leap with our new provider and we now have many more tools available to help you with your home search!

 As with any change, there is an adjustment period.  The new service went live in early February and Athens area real estate agents had until Friday, 2/15/2008 to verify and correct their on-line listings. 

Because of a minor issue, at the time of conversion, all listing that were moved from the old system to the new system were set to expire on 2/15/2008.  Agents were reminded to update their listings' statuses - but quite a few missed the message, as you can see from the screen shot above.  At midnight on 2/15/2008 over 900 listings expired and many still appear to have not been updated.  If you have a home for sale listed with an Athens, Georgia real estate agent, urge them to double check the status of your home!

If you would like to see what is on the market, please feel free to search our site, just click on the "search for homes" button below.

706-207-2502  cell                           706-543-1553 office

Michelle@SuccessRealtyGa.com       Success Realty website

For more information about homes for sale and real estate in Athens, GA or to request a Relocation Package for Athens, GA and the surrounding areas , please visit our website at Success Realty or email Michelle DeRepentigny at Michelle@SuccessRealtyGa.com for more information!